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Duplicate File Finder User Manual
Contents
Next: Installation
Part 1:
Introduction
Duplicate File Finder is a graphical tool, currently
written in Java, to help find and remove duplicated files on
filing systems. The criteria for determining if two files should
be listed as identical can be changed. It also has a "database"
option where examined files can have information on them stored in
user defined locations and compared to in later searches.
To
use the Duplicate File Finder, you select what files and/or
directories you want to examine, select a database file if you
want to use one, set the criteria, and start the search. Duplicate
File Finder will search the given path and all subdirectories it
finds, listing each examined file in a progress window, and
present a list of the duplicates found. Found duplicates can then
be deleted directly in Duplicate File Finder.
Duplicate
File Finder is currently a prototype. It is intended to provide
base functionality in finding duplicated files and is open to
suggestions from users as well as further development by me (its
author). It does have some known deficiencies which will be
addressed as soon as I have time. See the Future Development
section for more.
Performance
The
performance of the Duplicate File Finder will vary from system to
system. As a guide, on my system with a 450mHz AMD K6-2 processor,
7200 RPM IDE hard drive on an ATA 33 bus, and working completely
in RAM, around 110Mb/minute is processed.
Processor
capability, hard drive type, speed and connection, the RAM
available, and other applications running will all affect
processing speed. Depending on what is in your system, you will
probably get different performance results, however the
performance should remain acceptable for most systems.
Future
Development
How far I carry the Java version of
Duplicate File Finder is not absolutely clear yet. Most likely I
will only iron out little problems and complete small improvements
to make the Java version better to use. It was only intended as a
prototype and proof of concept development, and a forerunner to a
C++ based version that would be extensively
developed far beyond this simple, relatively low performance
duplicate file finding tool.
Future plans include being
able to identify pictures that are similar to the eye, but
different in their binary make up, finding files with "problem"
file names, extension of the database concept to allow exact
identification of where identical files lie (for example on which
CD-Rom), identifcation of broken links, and any other ideas I come
up with or which get suggested to me.
Current
System Requirements
Contents
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